


Short Fuse

by preludeoflight



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, FE8 Week 2017, M/M, More Kyle Refusing To Admit He's Gay, Pining, i should put this in a collection but w/e im lazy, i'm finally caught up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 21:10:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12490908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preludeoflight/pseuds/preludeoflight
Summary: It's surprising that for his cooler color, Kyle's far easier to enrage than Forde.For FE8 Week 2017.





	Short Fuse

**Author's Note:**

> And with this, I'm nearly all caught up!  
> This is the 10/24 Prompt, where I picked Secret.
> 
> I want to write Forde/Kyle again if I can someday... they're really great...

The words 'I know something you don't know' are more than just an annoyance for Kyle, they're a multiple level kind of annoyance. Firstly, they sound so condescending Kyle wishes he didn't have to hear them, or risk feeling this burning pain in his face. Secondly, and most importantly, is the dumb mouth they come out of.   
It belongs to Forde, of all people.

  
"Cut it out!" Kyle reflexively replies to that stupid snickering smile. He raises a hand high, a clear threat that he's aiming to smack Forde if he does it again.  
"I know something you don--" The sing song sentence isn't finished, and Forde grasps his ear in pain. "Aw, c'mon! I'm just having a little fun! What's wrong with that?"  
"What's wrong is how much you're enjoying it!" Kyle fumes, his hand doesn't bother lowering in case it has to strike again. Forde rubs his ear and sticks his tongue out childishly at the other cavalier before pushing his way past the tent flap. But it's no good, Kyle can still hear that dumb phrase in that dumb voice echoing in his head.

  
_'I know something you don't know.'_

  
What was he, four? Five? Only children taunt like that, about knowing other people's secrets. Kyle snorts and returns to polishing his lance. Of course, there's no secrets of his that Forde knows, he's made sure of that. Keeping tight lipped about himself only serves to drive Forde up the wall, something Kyle doesn't mind seeing once in a while. Still, that tone is a total ear worm.

  
_'I know something you don't know.'_   
_'I know something you don't know.'_

  
Forget it, leave it be, he can't waste his time worrying about such a silly thing. Forde is Forde, and will always be Forde. He'll always be a pain in the neck for him, but he'll always be around if he needs him. There's no getting rid of him, for better and for worse. Kyle stomps his boot into the dirt and grinds the heel against a pebble, hoping to just shove the phrase far out of his head.

  
_'I know something you don't know.'_   
_'I know something you don't know.'_   
_'I know something you don't know.'_

  
"Dammit!" The lance clatters to the grass, the polished tip getting dirtied. Great, just great, now he has to clean it again. All because of stupid Forde and his stupid words he said with his stupid mouth that won't leave his stupid head. Why is he even thinking so much about them anyway? They're nothing, they're nonsense, it's just Forde being Forde and trying to get under his skin. Kyle groans, he knows the blonde is way too good at that. He bends down to pick up the lance, the tent flap ruffles in the corner of his eye and in seconds, he's whirling around with the tip pointed straight at it. "FORDE! YOU BETTER NOT COME IN HERE!"

  
There's no response, it's the wind Kyle tells himself. He heaves a sigh so heavy his shoulders sink, and he goes back to his lance. For a bit, there's finally some quiet, Kyle's hand moves almost robotically around the lance point. First one side, then a roll of the hand to turn it, then the next, all with a quiet rhythm. There's peace inside his head, Forde's words and pained face aren't echoing this time. He relishes in it, this tranquility not often given to him due to the company he keeps. Why did he get so upset about what Forde said in the first place? They're nothing, Forde doesn't know any secrets about him.  
At least, he's pretty sure of that fact. No, no, Kyle's positive. Kyle would never give away something so stupid to Forde like a secret of his, because Forde's a blabbermouth and would tell it to the whole camp. Unless, of course, Forde learned the secret somehow on his own. At this, Kyle freezes, cloth halfway up the lance's steel. There's no way, no way, Forde isn't that smart at all. Well, he's smart in some things, he's very smart in reading people. Kyle's even shocked that he can be read easily by Forde, but he chalks that up to them being rivals for so long. There's no one Kyle knows better than Forde, he knows everything. Every movement he'll make in battle, every time he's lazing off, every time he gives that stupid smile with the side of his mouth and every stupid laugh he does when Kyle goes off on him, every exchanged look into those eyes...

  
... Wait, what? Why was he thinking about _that?_ Kyle goes furiously back to polishing, ears reddening. No, no, it wasn't like that. They were rivals and friends, nothing more and nothing less. To even think for a second that Forde was anything more than that, anything actually _special_ to him, would set Kyle's head to explode. He's digging so deep into his thoughts, he doesn't hear the other cavalier entering.

  
"Hey, uh, I wanted to--"  
 _"IT'S NOT THAT!"_ Kyle doesn't intend to yell, but it happens anyway. The silence that follows threatens to only make things worse.  
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"  
"Nothing. It's nothing." Kyle's on polish mode again, not meeting the man's eyes.  
"... That's not nothing. You're flustered, your ears give it away."  
"No I'm _not_." Kyle's switched to rubbing the wood down, his ears remain cherry red. Forde can't hide a growing smile.

  
"Yes, you are. Did something set you off? Was it--" Forde can nearly hear the other man's brain put two and two together. "Was it what I said? That I know something you don't?"  
"... Yes. It was that." There's no use hiding it otherwise Forde will keep prodding until he gets it. "Just tell me."  
"Tell you _what?_ " Forde's shit-eating grin is already caking his every word. God, Kyle wants to strangle him.  
"Gods, do I have to spell it out for you? Tell me what you know that I don't, apparently. Because you're now a genius."

Finally, Kyle locks eyes with Forde, he's still wearing that stupid grin. Only now does the green cavalier finally feel the heat that's collected in his ears and starts to spread to his face as well. He motions for Forde to go on, but Forde bites his lip to hold in a snicker.  
"You _really_ wanna know?"  
"YES. I WANT TO KNOW. How many more times do I have to say it?"

  
Forde, with his crafty grin, walks over until he's unbearably close. Then, as slow as possible, he leans over to Kyle's scarlet red ear. Kyle freezes in place, hands grip the lance so tight the knuckles turn white. What the hell is Forde doing?! He's been needlessly stupid and lazy but he's never done something like this before! What even should--

  
_"I know you love me."_

  
That little phrase, much like the last one, is set on loop in Kyle's head. All that follows is Forde's terrified screaming as he runs from the shining lance tip pointed right for a weak spot in his armor. Kyle's nearly as red as his armor, but that doesn't stop his rage from being just as hot.


End file.
